FILM REVIEW - Superman: Unbound

The Man of Steel is ready to swoop in and save us all from the fearsome might of summer, what with its inferno heat (boo) and pressure to go outside where people are (hiss). Whether it will be a fresh take on the Last Son of Krypton or just another spandex feature for the masses is entirely up to you, but what is always overlooked are the animated features that DC puts out between it's blockbusters. This release is something to put you in the mood for mislabelling a flying man as a bird or plane (honestly, how bad were those people's eyes!?) and it goes by the name of Superman: Unbound.

Much like DC's previous forays into the animated world that base the plot on either a comic book story arc or that of a graphic novel, Superman: Unbound takes it's foundations from the 5-issue arc titled Superman: Brainiac from 2008. The feature introduces a villain that may not be that well known to the masses since he has never been used in a live action film (though was portrayed amazingly by James Marsters in the TV show Smallville ), that of Brainiac. Ol'Brainy is not your average criminal; not a bald billionaire or an insane clown but that of an alien being intent on collecting all knowledge. Not all that intimidating until it comes to light that he is some kind of super-genius with a spaceship shaped like a giant skull capable of snuffing out stars and a penchant for shrinking down a chosen city into a little bottle. Jokes on him really since stamps are SO much easier to collect.

Starring alongside Supes is Supergirl, the young and brash cousin of the beloved hero. All the powers, not so much on the restraint. When Brainiac sets his sights on our blue marble its up to the Kryptonians to save the day. Superman is up against a very unusual foe in this case; he cannot reason with his foe; the enemy is about on par in power; and shockingly enough he's pretty smart. Or you would hope with a name like Brainiac.

"Five bucks says I can hock-a-loogie on to that yuppie's head."

Superpowered battles is the name of the game and when you throw in some things Superman can't fight with his fists you get a little more depth to a man who essentially punches things really hard. The emotions and personalities are brought to the fore by some fantastically cast actors in the form of Matt Bomer (White Collar) as Superman, Castle alums Stana Katic and Molly Quinn as Lois Lane and Supergirl respectively, and the brilliant John Noble (Fringe) as Brainiac. Throw in the masterful animation DC animated is known for and you have a truly...super, experience. That good it warrants a pun. The climactic battle, while perhaps not on par with the Hollywood blockbusters, is perhaps a fine example of an all out super strength brawl.

Superman: Unbound is a great movie to either warm you up for Man of Steel or to give you the fix if you're still buzzing from the live action reboot. DC animated movies are on a roll (but not a film roll...because they're animated...geddit?) and are spitting out quality film after quality film. Lets just hope a real spacefaring super-brain doesn't see what they're doing and make their way here.